


Back To You

by TortiTabby



Series: The End and Beginning [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Apocalypse, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 20:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14655326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TortiTabby/pseuds/TortiTabby
Summary: Not going to bed angry meant not going to bed angry. Phil would be damned if he left for the weekend with things the way they were so they promised each other a relaxing, clothes optional week with no phones and no work as soon as Phil came back from his trip.That was twenty-seven days ago and Phil hadn't heard Dan's voice since.





	Back To You

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is definitely a different kind of Fic for me to write but I was feeling inspired so I went for it.  
> It's a little harrowing since I am much more comfortable writing slice of life kind of fics but hopefully putting myself out there paid off.  
> I feel like it's kind of cheesy. I'm very nervous about this one

“Call your mum and tell her you'll celebrate Mother's Day next year with her. I don't want to leave this bed.” Dan's muffled voice rang out from where it was pressed into Phil's shoulder. It was early Friday morning and he had a plane to catch to the Isle of Man.  
“Don't do this to me.” Phil warned. “We said the argument was done and over last night and I don't have time to go through it and the make up sex all over again.”  
Dan pulled away enough to pout his lip out at his other, more reasonable half.  
“I am not arguing I'm bargaining.”  
Phil rolled his eyes fondly before rolling out of their bed. It started as Dan not wanting him to go and snowballed into a fight about not spending enough time together lately as Dan took more independent projects on that had him traveling and working late most nights. It's what they had wanted after the tour yet Phil felt like he was letting Dan down not joining him and felt like he wasn't pulling enough weight himself by not wanting to find very many projects to do solo. Thursday was spent with high tensions in silence as Dan emailed producers and film makers and Phil edited their latest gaming video, longing for the dimples and cackling that was featured in it.  
Not going to bed angry meant not going to bed angry, though. Phil would be damned if he left for the weekend with things the way they were so through a lot of talking and far less weeping than either would admit they promised each other a relaxing, clothes optional week with no phones and no work as soon as Phil came back from his trip.  
That was twenty-seven days ago and Phil hadn't heard Dan's voice since.

  


It started with what Phil thought was a freak lightning storm, not uncommon up in the North. It ended with the world around him radio silent. The internet seemed to just be gone, all the phones' signals lost. The power in their house went out and Phil couldn't help but worry if the same was happening back in London.  
His mother begged him to wait it out and see what was happening. Always the superstitious, that Kath.  
“Don't like the way this feels.” She had said, her nose in the air as she shook her head. “Please don't go.”  
It was Mother's Day and he didn't plan on leaving until that Tuesday. She tried to argue she was supposed to have two more days with him but he couldn't shake the superstitious feeling, himself. He had to get back to Dan. They were a team.  
By the time the ferry docked back on mainland Phil knew his fears were not unwarranted. The mass public didn't do well being left in the dark, quite literally. Stores were looted and people ran wild in the streets. Crime was evident on every corner and there weren't any repercussions. He made his way to the train station to get to London but it had been totally ransacked. Panic clawed at his throat. He slid down the wall.  
His fingers shook as he desperately tried to dial Dan's number into his phone for what had to be the millionth time.  
“Mate, I don't think that's going to suddenly work.” A man standing nearby called over with a laugh.  
“What? Did ya lose your girl?” A few friends of his joined in chuckling, eying the backpack strapped to Phil.  
“Give us your bag and we'll help ya find her?” Goosebumps ran up and down Phil's arms. He couldn't seem to make any words leave his mouth as he continued to stare. The man didn't even try to beat around the bush that they were robbing him. There was no fear on any of their faces. They didn't seem to think there would be any consequences for their actions and by the look of things Phil was afraid they were right.  
“Look boys, you're scaring him.” The first man started sauntering towards Phil. He could see a switchblade handle peeking out of his dirty jean pocket.  
“Okay!” Phil jumped up and tugged the backpack off and threw it towards them.  
“You can have it all! I d-don't want any problems I'm just trying to get to my friend!”  
“Get to your friend?” The man asked. “Where did you leave them last that let you lose them?”  
Phil ignored the howling laughter by the man's lackeys.  
“He's in London, I just wanted to get a train there.” The smiles faded from the strangers' faces and the smaller man who had been quiet so far spoke up.  
“My Mum and Dad, they lived in London.” He said somberly. “Ye haven't heard? London's gone totally mad. Total panic and insanity from what I've heard. You can listen on the radio sometimes but if anyone ever comes through that got out of London they warn you not to try to go.” He looked away from Phil but tossed his bag back.  
“Your mate's gone or as good as gone.”

It had been nearly four weeks from then, if Phil was keeping track correctly. He was worried he was off a day or two due to sleeping all day. It was hard not to just sleep through the pain and heartache. Sleeping made all of the bad things go away. Sleeping meant seeing Dan. Phil still had hope but the what if's haunted him. He tore his thoughts away from the tall brunette and the way his bright brown eyes would crinkle at the corners when he would beam at Phil. He would only feel more distraught if he focused on how he couldn't breathe when he thought of how much he missed Dan. He made himself run through the list that calmed him in his mind.  
He knew Martyn was in Sweden with Cornelia. He didn't even know if this had happened anywhere else in the world or not. Perhaps they were obliviously fine while he scrambled to find food and to stay hidden from desperate people who had already lost everything that made them human. Phil was sure if something had happened they would be okay. They had each other.  
His mum and dad were still on the Isle. It was somewhat isolated and people knew how to fish and farm there. It was a friendly community and his parents had plenty of friends and support. They would be okay. They had each other.  
_“Dan's alone”_ a voice whispered cruelly in his head. He aggressively shook out of his thoughts and continued on his trek. He was skirting around the edge of a big city and he couldn't be sure but he thought he finally ended up where he was trying to be.  
  
Manchester wasn't nearly as big as London but there was plenty of danger for him to trip his way into. He wasn't adept to this post apocalyptic, scary world. He was still just tall, awkward Phil. He didn't switch into the brave and heroic Survival Phil that he and Dan would discuss different scenarios of after binging survival movies and The Walking Dead.  
He sighed as he headed in what he hoped was the right direction. He knew his way around Manchester fairly well but everything looked different now. Phil didn't change much but the rest of the world did.  
His legs ached as he hiked up the back allies, frantically keeping an eye out for someone who would recognize him as an easy target. He had been lucky so far, running into only a few people since that first day, most of them looking as scared as he felt. He somehow was lucky enough to find a car with keys still in the ignition a few weeks back. It was an ominous sign but he welcomed the rare good luck. He drove all through that night before he saw the sign that said he was headed the wrong direction. By the time he turned around and got headed the right way he barley made it a few miles past where he found the car before he ran out of gas. There was something about a panic attack in a broken down car all alone that made the whole situation finally feel real. He headed out on foot the next morning.  
A woman and her younger, teenage sister had joined him a few days after that. They didn't stay with him for long and they seemed nervous and flighty the whole time they traveled together. Phil didn't blame them, if he didn't know himself he would be wary of the 6'2 stranger traveling alone in their broken world as well. They were kind and shared their food with him, though. The younger sister told Phil before they parted ways that she heard talk of people coming in and rebuilding. She heard a rumor the power was back on for rural cities in the south and spreading. He held onto that hope. "Good luck, Phil." She said before they left and gave him a swift hug. It wasn't until the next day Phil realized he had never said his name.  
  
It looked like he was closer than he thought he was to his destination and he felt like weeping with relief. He had to march on until he knew he was totally safe. Celebratory weeping would have to wait.  
He was desperate to travel south to find Dan but he knew putting them both in London was a bad idea. He saw enough broken families pass through, sobbing over their loved ones that were ripped apart from the people who simply took whatever they wanted no matter the cost. He hadn't seen a lot of people but it didn't take very many telling you London meant death to deter you from going there.  
He resisted the urge to find somewhere to sit and rest as he opened the glass door and snuck inside the tall building. He was too close to his destination to stop now. He would head to London next but he had to be prepared. He wasn't sure what all he needed to find in the first place but he knew he wasn't even close to ready. He hardly had the shirt on his back.  
His plan was to hide here and gather enough items to ensure his safety and that he had enough food. If Dan was hurt he had to make sure he had medicine for it. If Dan wasn't hurt it was a good idea to be ready in case something did happen. Phil refused to think of a third scenario.  
He had a radio that he had found stashed away in a drug store that was battery operated. He was wary of what kind of messages he would come across once he got it to work after his warning from the thug at the train station but that was a worry for when he finds batteries to operate it. In the meantime he could at least set up a camp somewhere he knew the area really well of and prepare himself.  
His calloused hands gripped tight onto the red railing of the stairwell, hauling his body up each step as he climbed to the top floor. He was so tired. He had been tired since he left Dan that morning and no amount of sleep was going to fix it.  
He finally reached the top floor and pushed the heavy door open and quietly ambled down the hallway. It didn't sound like anyone else had the same idea as he did and he was pleased to find the building pretty much abandoned. Most people left the big cities for the country side, or to see if other countries were having the same problems that they were. Phil couldn't find it in himself to care, really. Usually he would be craving the knowledge of what was happening in the outside world but he had his plans plotted out and he had his calming list neat in his mind. He would deal with the rest when the time came.  
Logically, Phil knew there was a great chance that Dan wasn't in London anymore or that if he was it wouldn't be in the way he would want to find him. He refused to think like that though, and had to continue until he knew for sure. For Dan. For himself.  
He finally got to the door at the end of the hallway and froze. There was movement coming from inside of the flat he stopped at. It could be an animal or it could have been his imagination but he could have sworn there was something moving inside.  
After waiting several more minutes without hearing anything Phil carefully tried the doorknob and was relieved to find it unlocked. Surely there wasn't anybody hiding out in an unlocked apartment that anyone could just waltz into.  
“Don't move!” A voice called out and Phil whipped his head over to the breakfast bar where it came from. Where the man it belonged to used to rub his whole body over. The body he knew better than his own, inside and out and the man that he realized he thought he would never lay eyes on again.  
“Phil?” Dan stood alone in their old kitchen, clothes hanging off his too thin body. His curly hair in his face in a way that would normally drive Dan to a haircut and the beginning of facial hair attempting to cling to his rosy cheeks.  
Phil fell to his knees. He had either lost his mind or against all odds they had found each other again. Somehow back where they started. He was afraid to look back up towards the kitchen in fear that it had all been a dream or a cruel illusion his sleep depraved brain was playing on him.  
“Phil!” Dan's voice called again and before Phil knew what was hitting him he was smothered in long familiar arms, squeezing his frail body with a force he never knew Dan had.  
“How did you find me?” Dan asked as he sobbed into Phil's dirty hair.  
“I-” Phil's voice was horse from lack of use. “I was going to wait here before going to London to find you. How are you here? I should have never left you were right. I should have listened. I should have never left.”  
He could feel Dan shaking his head against him. Sobs wracked his body. He clutched Dan's shoulders and pulled him back far enough to see clearly.  
“London was a madhouse I couldn't stay.” Dan said softly. Phil wiped the corner of Dan's wet eye with his thumb. He was in awe he was allowed another chance to do so. To hold him and be with him again after the insanity of the last few weeks.  
“I was going to go to the Isle but I heard news that the ferries stopped coming back. I waited but it wasn't looking promising. I stole some truck at the docks that I found and then I came here to try to figure out a way to go to you.”  
Phil pulled him in tight again.  
“Left for you. I had to find you. I was so scared.” Dan shushed him and pulled Phil close to his chest.  
“I can't believe we both came here." He paused. "I love you.” he felt rumble from Dan's chest before he heard it.  
“I love you too.” He whispered.  
A helicopter whirred in the distance. It would take time but it seemed the rumors may have been true. The world was coming back to them just as Phil had for Dan. They were going to be okay. _They had each other._

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to reply to comments and please remember if I don't I still read over them over and over again in a unhealthy obsessive way.  
> Appreciate every comment/kudos/whatever  
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> My A03:  
>  https://tortitabby.tumblr.com/ 


End file.
